Not all Soy is Equal

M and I went to Costa Rica for a few weeks in July 2010, and it was really fun to try the cuisine.  One of my favorite dishes was the national dish, Gallo Pinto.  Beans and Rice, with a distinctly Costa Rican twist.  Apparently, Salsa Lizano is the secret ingredient that makes the beans-n-rice sing.  However, my attempt to purchase a small bottle while killing time at 5AM at the airport was thwarted, after being told it exceeded the limit of how much liquid I could bring on the plane with me.  D'oh.

But this is not the story I want to tell.  What I want to tell is about an evening where M and I misjudged what was included at a bed-n-breakfast we stayed at near Alajuela.  Bed-n-Breakfast did not include dinner.  By the time we realized this, it was late and anything within walking distance was convenience food.  This wouldn't do. A previous trip to a grocery store yielded the following product:

Since we had access to a kitchen (but sadly nothing else beyond some paltry seasonings), we decided to boil some water, add this soy product, and see what happens. We were hungry, a little desperate.  In the mug it went:

Adding some boiling water:

On closer inspection ...

Mmmmm, texturized soy in boiling water.

A reluctant and skeptical taste-tester:

And, the verdict recorded for posterity.